Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-06
AHIDEOUS EXHIBITION
How Criminals Are Exc
cuted in Sunny Spain.
INCIDENTS OF A HOLIDAY.
Armand Daoyt's Graphic Account
: OF the Death Of Alvarez DIVA,
A Murderer.

- 4AAesaA<A 0s~CS - - :
OF the Death of Alvarez OLIVIA,
A Murderer.
To-day, at 10 o'clock in the morning,
Alvares Olivia, the murderer of Juan
Rinener, the notary, was garroted. As
- entsrprising tourist. desirous OF seeing
everything possible TO see. was present
at the execution, and make the follow
Ing hasty account Of the various incidents
a this dismal holiday, while not more
fhan two steps away from the place of
execution.
/ use the werd holiday designedly.
The foreigner who this morning
beheld the Puorta del Sor for the first
time would have thought that Madrid
AAd gone wild with noisy merriment-
just - upon the occasion of some royal
oevenony at the ancient church of An.
tocha, or of some great bull.fght exhibi.
ton under the management of Cartijo
Naxzantini. The msnola never looked
more attractive. Their great black eyes
were lustrous with joy; and amid great
1uttering Of fans and marvellous bursts
Of laughter, they wended their way in
Rreups to the sinister Plaza del aire
puro- humming the latest popular NAL.
aguenas-swaying their hips as they
walked, and insolently jostling the hon.
1T msrket people who burthened the
sidewalk with heaps of enormous pimen.
To- and oalabashes Of the queerest shapes.
Riding supurb Audalusian horses with
small heads and tinely.arched necks-
horses that seemed to have stepped out
Of some canvass by Velasquez-the
elegant young men Of the city passed by
at : cauter, all delicately gloved and
wearing tuberoses at their buttonhole, as
if they were going to the Retro to wait
for the advent OF the open carriage OF
some belle.
It was nine o'clock in the morning
when | left my house. Although the
heat was already overwhelming. l re.
solved to 90 on, foot from the corner of
the Gala de Alcala to the place of exc.
cation. The nearer I approached the
square, the more compact became the
crowd. To proceed at all became impos-
sible. The crowding and pushing, how
ever, only increased the merriment of
the ,nischisvous girls of Madrid. who
were being amorously pinched every
once in awhile by the soldiers of the
1ins-and in regard to gallantry the
spanish soldier is quite match for his
French brother.
Then you would hear bursts of feigned
ndigu&tion- Vaya Y. al demonio (''Go
- the devil''). endless bursts of laughter,
and whacks with fans that would send
helmets and cockades rolling in the dust
Suddenly the crowd halts, and great
si|once falls. A close carriage with
bllads down, escorted by a picket of
ciyil guards, slowly passes through the
press. We will follow it without hur-
rying ourselves,
In little while the place of execution
ersears before me, thronged with mul.
>Yftude swlying like tide; and up from
the see Of hssds marges the white mast
Of the scafold.
I approach.
Lying upon stool, covered with
suow.white cloth, is the garrote itself
>thlmmering like crown of steel. In a
litt1s while the executioner will attach
= % post against which the criminal is
30 be fastened. The final preparations
oousu ned considerable time, 30 that
vas we'll able to make leisurely exam.
ination fthe sinister locality whittier
ouriosity I'd drawn me for the purpose
cf studying the physiognomy of the great
pushing or squeezing crowd. As always
and in all places the women were the
uest numerous. The plaza where the
executions took place is on very high
around, and the pure air one breathes
there must increase the criminals regret
; for life at the moment when his respir.
alton is about to be cut short forever.
The houses surrounding it, mostly hum
ble in aspect, are widely interspaced.
Bstween them stranger who loves
classic landscapes can obtain a good
view of the sun. burned and yellow plains
of Nueva Castillo and the blush noun.
taius Of Guadamara in the hozizou.
The deploy Of military forces about
the scaffold was considerable. counted
No less than six detatchments of differ
eut corps. There were lancers with
Prussian.shaped helmets of brass; gen.
darmes in black with yellow straps and
white trimmings, blue uniformed light
cavalry; infantry; provincial guards with
red caps. The martial department of
these men, nearly all young, strong, and
handsome, impressed me very much.
ssWhat is that little bell hear ringing
20 long 2" asked my neighbor, an old
Nsvarrsse peasant, whom Gustave Dore
would have taken for model, and wEo.
while chewing the end of an extin.
Ruished cigar, kept passing the beads of
: rosary between his thin bony fingers.
ssThat," he replied, sis the collectors
ball"
Then I saw coming toward me,
through the crowd, a sort OF sacristan,
wearing red skull-cap, and carrying in
front Of him, supported by a rap.
passed around his neck, great green
Boz. like barrel organ. 1t was really
shaped, however, like gigantic poor
box, such as are placed in churches; and
On its side were planted, in great big
letters. the words: Paz Caridad
fssPeace and Charity').
s'Drop an aims iuto it" the old man
said to me; 'it will 90 to have masses
said for the repose Of the soul of Alva-
rez Olivia"
Certainly. old friend" l answered.
ssHere are ten reales. You drop them
10 for me, San Isidor will be just as
thankful to me as if put them in my
self" The way the old man looked at
me could not be described. While l
pretended to look another way, see the.
silver coin vanish into the depth OF his